At least one member of Allentown City Council will not be
present for the much-anticipated vote on the city’s water and sewer lease
tonight.

Councilman Cynthia Mota has been hospitalized in Venezuela
for nearly a month and is still not well enough to return to the U.S., council
President Julio Guridy said Wednesday.

Mota was originally stricken with shingles, a painful skin rash caused by the chicken pox virus. That led to
complications with her gallbladder, and she had to have surgery to have it
removed, Guridy said.

Mota’s doctors are now concerned that
she is not healing properly from the surgery because she suffers from sickle
cell anemia, a blood disorder that creates abnormally shaped blood cells. The
abnormal cells can block blood flow, cause damage to organs and increase the
risk of infection.

Guridy said earlier this month that he
expected her to be back for the vote, but her condition has not improved enough
yet, he said.

“It’s not that good yet,” Guridy said. “We need to keep her
in our prayers.”